Cultivator



(NdModeL) W. P. BROWN.

Cultivator.

No. 240,377. Patented April 19,1881.

WITNESSES INVENTOR t AT1I'ORNEYS NPEIERS. FNOTO-LITMDGRAPHER.WASHINGLON. o c

UNITED STATES PATENT ""FFEE WILLIAM P. BROWN, OF ZANESVILLE, OHIO.

CU LTIVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,377, dated April19, 1881.

Application filed February 12, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PATTERSON BROWN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, resident at Zanesville, in the State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators andI do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is aplan view. Fig. 2 is a side view.

This invention has relation to wheel'cultivators; and it consists,mainly, in devices whereby the front portion of the plow is providedwith resilient flexibility, in combining the draft-connectionstherewith, in the spring lifting devices, and in the combination, withspring lifting devices and a draft attachment connected to a commonportion of the frame, of a plow having its front portion or conneotionflexible, all as hereinafter specified.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a plow-beam with anautomatic springing or compensating motion, whereby the plows arerelieved from a rigid dependence upon the axle or other portion of thecultivator-frame to which the beam may be connected.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the plow-beam asconnected to the hearing or upon the axle A but it can be connected to ahanger or other portion of the frame, to which the draft is attached.The bearing a is provided at one end with a sheave or lever projection,B, to which the draft 0 is attached, provision being made for thevariation of the point of attachment of the draft by means of a seriesof holes, I). At the other end of the bearing a is formed an arm, 0,extending forward and provided with adjusting devices, and designed forthe attachment of the lower end of the spring lifting device D, whichconsists in the construction shown of an adjustable toggle, E, a spring,F, and a Lie, 6, connecting the joint of the toggle to the spring, therelative length and position of the parts being such that when the plowis lifted sufliciently the toggle will be drawn forward by the springpast the center, taking a reversed position and forming a lock,assisting materially in carrying the plow when the shovels are not inoperation; and when the beam is down and the shovels in use the liftingattachment serves to lighten the weight for the operator at the handleG, enabling him to guide and regulate the shovels with facility. Thefront portion of the plow-beam is made flexible, usually by formingajoint atf, so that the rear portion, H, of the beam carrying the shovelbars or standards I I is flexible with relation to the front portion, K,which is coupled to a projection or projections, g, on the bearing a bymeans of a key, and suitable lug-s formed on said forward portion. Onthe rear and front portions, HK, of the beam are provided projections orlugs h, between which a spring, S, is introduced, this spring beingusually seated upon a guide, k, and being capable of adjustment uponsaid guide, so as to increase or lessen its tension, according to therequirement of the soil. The joint f is also designed to be madeadjustable by providing series of holes through the arm or arms of oneor both portions, H and K, for the passage of the pivot-bolt p. In orderthat the flexure of the beam at the joint, when the shovels areoperating in hard ground under strong draft, may not be too great, astop, 8, is provided, which is usually made adjustable, and serves tolimit the movement of the joint. A stop is also provided to limit theupward flexure, so that the beam will have, when not working, astraightjoint.

It is apparent that the flexible joint in the forward portion of thebeam relieves it from a rigid dependence on the axle sleeve orattachment, so that theshovels can act within certain limitsautomatically, adapting themselves to their work in the soil. Theresilience at the joint, resulting from the action of the spring orweight, serves to press the rear shovel into the ground, and, whendesired, to effect a straightening of the joint.

It is designed by this invention to overcome the tendency which shovelshave, when one is placed farther to the rear than another, to penetratethe ground to unequal depths, which results from the rigidity of thebeam and the inequality in the leverage of the shovels, causing thelonger or rear shovel to govgrp the forward one. The flexibility of thebeam allows the shovels to adjust themselves automatically to the properdepth in the soil, and assists materially in preventing clogging, whichoccurs when the plows swing to one side of the line of draft. ThereforeI am enabled to set one shovel of the gang much farther in advance ofthe other than the usual mode, and thereby avoid the possibility ofclogging, and enabling the plowman to plow nearer the ends of cornrows.This construction also avoids extra cost of material, as the forwardshovels are provided with bars much shorter than usual. The employmentof a short bar also adds steadiness and strength to the beam, therebeing less springing action. As the flexible beams are made to operatein combination with a coupling having projecting portions, whichcooperate with the draft of the team and springs, an effect is producedupon the plows, either against or with the draft of the team, tending toeither lift or depress them; and when hard ground threatens to force theplows out the flexure of the beams provides for the depression of theirpoints, causing them to hug the soilan effect which is still moreobvious when the front beam is arranged well in advance of the rear one,as above described.

Spring drag-bars have been employed in cultivators, and jointed armscontrolling slipteeth in cultivators are also known. Therefore theseconstructions are not claimed herein.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. A plow-beam having in its front portion a resilient flexible joint,substantially as specifled.

2. A plow-beam having its front portions flexibly jointed, and carryingan interacting spring between projections on the portions of the jointedplow-beam, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the couplin g-sleeve and its draft sheave orprojection, of the resilient fiexiblejoiuted plow-beam, substantially asspecified.

4'. The combination, with a plow-beam and its coupling-sleeve, having adraft sheave or projection, and a forward arm, 0, of the liftingspring,toggle, and tie, substantially as specifled.

5. The combination, with a flexible plowbeam, of a coupling-sleevehaving a draft-projection at one end and spring lifting devices at theother end operating in antagonism to the draft, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

W. 1?. BROWN.

Witnesses:

PHILIP G. MASI, H. G. MEGREW.

